Insightful Musings on the New Testament
by
Ray Sparre, NU class of '67

Ray has a wealth of experience as a Husband, Father, Pastor, Missionary, and student of the Word. He believes and practices his faith where the rubber meets the road. You'll find his writings to be practical, insightful, and grounded in a truly Christ-centered world view.

Below are links to a printable daily Bible reading guide which Ray is following, and an archive of all his daily devotional writings for 2010.

|  Daily Reading Guide  |  2010 Devotion Archives  |
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 13 Aug 10
            Good morning, dear people.
            That’s right…Friday the 13th.  Are you scared?  I hope not.
            “TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!”  That’s what a lot of people say on this day of the week.  But it really is good to exclaim TGIF every day with this modified meaning: “THANK GOD I’M FORGIVEN!”
            I’m about out the door with 3 dogs…jogging about 1.5 miles.  Wow!...it’s late!  8:53am!
            May your day go well, leaning on “Everlasting Arms.”
                        Love, Dad/Ray
 
13 August 2010
Passage: Romans 5:12-21
Focus: “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17.
            “Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ.”  That’s the title given in my Bible for this section of Romans 5.  It’s a very good concise overview of Paul’s presentation of the spiritual realities facing us—indeed, facing the entire human race.
            There is a technical point that I think is worth making here.  It is not necessary for me to “feel guilty” for Adam’s sin violation way back in the Garden of Eden.  But it is important for me to understand what Adam’s failure did to posterity—infusing a kind of spiritual infection into the life-stream of all humanity—causing a propensity toward sin and evil.  So rather than attempting to excuse myself, saying, “I wasn’t there!  I didn’t have anything to do with Adam partaking of the forbidden fruit!  Why should I be blamed?”—I need to recognize that I have tallied up quite enough of my own violations to be legitimately labeled a SINNER.
            Would it help if we likened our SIN problem to a medical condition?  I was born sick—with a terminal illness.  The Sovereign Doctor has not only diagnosed my condition, but has also graciously offered an antidote and cure.  All I need to do is believe it and receive it.  What a deal!  How smart would I be if I responded, “Thank you, God, but no thank you.  I’ll get a second opinion and deal with it on my own.”  Taking it all into account, it would be nothing short of insanity!
 
            “Sin is not in the deed; it is in the doer of the deed.”